>> THE PILOT.

OF RESILIENT COMMUNITIES ENDS THIS SUMMER.

>>> IN A CITY KNOWN FOR ITS POETS AND POETRY, BEING NAMED CHICAGO'S FIRST-EVER POET LAUREATE IS HIGH PRAISE AND A LONG ORDER.

BUT, TEACHER, PRODUCER, COMPOSER, PERFORMER, AND YES, POET, AVERY BROOKS, SAID HE CAN'T WAIT TO GET STARTED SERVING AS THE CITIES POETRY AMBASSADOR.

JOINING US TO TALK ABOUT HIS DECISION FOR THE ROLE, IS AVERY YOUNG.

THANKS FOR JOINING US, AND CONGRATULATIONS.

>> THANK YOU SO MUCH, I AM GLAD TO BE HERE.

>> WE ARE GLAD TO HAVE YOU.

YOU ARE A HOMEGROWN TALENT.

WHERE DID YOUR LOVE OF POETRY BEGIN?

>> MY LOVE OF POETRY BEGIN WITH A BOOK THAT WAS A COMPILATION OF BLACK POETS, AND I JUST FELL IN LOVE WITH WORDS.

THE STORIES THAT WERE BEING TOLD IN THOSE BOOKS BY THOSE POETS.

>> AND WHILE YOU WERE GROWING UP, HOW DOES THAT LOVE OF WORDS NURTURE AND ENCOURAGE YOU?

>> IN CHURCH, WATCHING THE MINISTER PREACH, GET PEOPLE ALL RILED UP, AND THEN PRAY, AND I WAS LIKE MAN, HOLED UP.

THAT IS MAGIC.

>> THAT IS THE MAGIC YOU GOT.

YOU ARE THE FIRST PERSON TO HOLD THIS TITLE.

WHAT DOES THAT MEAN TO YOU?

>> I AM LIKE, WOW.

KAREN ROGERS, AND BRENDA MATTHEWS, AND SO MANY POETS THAT IT COULD HAVE BEEN, BUT IT IS ME.

I AM LIKE, WOW.

I'M STILL TRYING TO FIGURE IT OUT.

I AM DOING THIS LIKE, EVERY HALF HOUR, JUST TO MAKE SURE THAT IT IS ACTUALLY REAL.

BUT, I AM EXCITED.

I AM EXCITED.

>> YOUR POETRY GOES BEYOND THE PAGE, YOU ARE A CROSS DISCIPLINARY ARTIST.

HERE IS A LOOK AT YOUR WORKS.

>> ♪ YOU ARE THERE, YOU ARE THERE, YOU ARE ALL DRESSED IN BLACK.

♪ SINGH, SISTER SING.

♪ WERE YOU THERE, WERE YOU THERE?

>> SO, WHAT IS IT ABOUT THIS APPROACH TO POETRY THAT WORKS FOR YOU?

>> ANY MESSAGE BEING GIVEN TO PEOPLE, HAS AN ASSIGNMENT.

SO, A LOT OF WHAT IS GOING ON THROUGH CHURCH AND TRANSFORMING FAITH THROUGH LANGUAGE IS THE WAY IN WHICH I DELIVER POEMS.

SO, THIS PARTICULAR POEM , EMMETT TILL THE REMIX IS BASICALLY A RETELLING OF A STORY IN CHURCH.

AND I REMEMBER GOING TO THIS SCHOOL AND THE YOUNG MEN HAD NO IDEA WHO EMMETT TILL WAS.

AND I WAS LIKE, I AM GOING TO WRITE A POEM.

AND THEN, I WAS LIKE, WELL, LET'S WRITE THE POEM.

AND I THOUGHT ABOUT, AGAIN, HOW EFFECTIVE THAT COULD BE WHEN IT KIND OF INITIATES AN EMOTIONAL ENGAGEMENT.

NOT JUST, OH, I'M LISTENING ABOUT SOMETHING THAT HAPPENED IN HISTORY.

AND AGAIN, I WILL NEVER FORGET THE STORY, JUST BECAUSE OF THE WAY IT WAS DELIVERED, I WILL NEVER FORGET IT.

>> WHAT ARE SOME OF THE TOPICS AND ISSUES THAT YOU ENJOY OR APPRECIATE WRITING ABOUT?

WHAT IS THE MESSAGE THAT YOU ARE OFTEN GOING FOR WHEN YOU ARE WORKING?

>> IN THE BLACK WORLD THAT I WORKED IN, I DON'T KNOW, THE LIQUOR STORE, THE CURRENT EXCHANGE, AND THE CHURCH ARE ALL RIGHT NEXT DOOR TO EACH OTHER.

IF YOU WANT TO KEEP ANYTHING PRIVATE, DON'T EVER PUT IT FORWARD.

SO, I LIKE TO TALK ABOUT THE STORIES WITH THESE GREAT CITIES.

STORIES ABOUT MY MOTHER, A COUSIN, MY UNCLE.

YOU KNOW?

>> ANYTHING CHICAGO.

>> ALL THINGS CHICAGO.

>> WITH THAT IN MIND, WHAT DO YOU ENVISION FOR THIS ROLE, AND HOW DO YOU HOPE IT WILL IMPACT OTHER POETS?

>> WELL, I WOULD LIKE TO TEACH POET LAUREATES TO FEEL LIKE THEY CAN GET SOME WORK DONE AND SHARE IT WITH THE CITY.

THIS IS A CRAZY TIME WITH ME BEING THE FIRST ONE.

I WANT TO SUPPORT THE PROGRAM.

>> VERY SURPRISED CHICAGO HASN'T ALREADY HAD A POET LAUREATE, CONSIDERING THE HISTORY.

>> I DIDN'T THINK ABOUT IT LIKE THAT.

I HAVE BEEN AROUND POETRY IN THIS COMMUNITY FOR A LONG TIME.

>> RIGHTS.

>> I'VE NEVER BUT HE HEARD ABOUT ANYBODY WHO IS A LAUREATE.

>> THERE IS A FIRST TIME FOR EVERYTHING.

ARE THERE RESOURCES THAT THE ROLE OFFERS THAT CAN GIVE YOU ACCESS TO NEW OR DIFFERENT STORIES?

>> WELL, I WANT TO WORK WITH THE DK DEPARTMENT AND FIGURE OUT SOME SOURCES WHO CREATE RESIDENCIES FOR POETS OUTSIDE OF MYSELF.

MAYBE THERE IS A MEETING TO BE HAD WITH SOME MAGAZINES OR NEWSPAPERS SCAN POETRY SECTIONS AND THINGS OF THAT NATURE.

>> IF YOU ARE LISTENING, MAGAZINE PEOPLE -- >> YOU ARE LISTENING!

>> YOU ALSO TALKED ABOUT WANTING TO DEVELOP A YOUNGER CHICAGO POET YOU HAVE WORKED WITH FOR MANY YEARS.

YOU HAVE ABOUT 25 SECONDS LEFT.

HOW DO YOU PLAN TO USE THIS?

>> GOING TO SCHOOLS, GOING TO AFTERSCHOOL PROGRAMS, AND TO THE MANY COMMUNITY ORGANIZATIONS I HAVE WORKED